The Hicks Pirates are taking a road trip to take on the Leesville Wampus Cats at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Hicks had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the ten-run drubbing they dealt Evans on Saturday. Hicks put the hurt on Evans with a sharp 11-1 win. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last five times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Hicks got a great performance from Katie-Grace Quinn as she didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched.
At the plate, Peyton Lambright was incredible, scoring four runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-3. Maliah Gordy also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Hicks kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their hit total in three consecutive matches.
Leesville never got on the board in their matchup on Saturday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Georgetown on Saturday. They blew past the Bulldogs 16-4. While the Wampus Cats didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-15), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
The team relied heavily on Avery Bealer, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3. Briawna Frusha was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing Two bases. while going 1-for-4.
Leesville pushed their record up to 6-2 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 11 runs. As for Hicks, their record is now 5-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Hicks has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Leesville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Hicks might still be hurting after the 7-1 loss they got from Leesville in their previous meeting back in April of 2015. Can Hicks avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.